Big Rickshaw

Sometimes, Mom likes to contextualize the stories she tells me.  I do love my books, but I don't really have a frame of reference for tractors.  So, although I hope to spend a few summers on a Minnesota farm, for now I'm just imagining what a big tractor looks and sounds like.  Rickshaws, on the other hand, I can feel and taste and hear as soon as we step out of our apartment building.  

Here's one of the stories she sometimes tells me that has been inspired by the book Big Tractor and its relatives.

Big Rickshaw

The Big Rickshaw drove out of the lot and into the streets of Dhaka.  The sun was just beginning to rise and Big Rickshaw had lots of work to do.

"Tink, tink" went its bell as it veered into traffic on a Kalachandpur alley. 

Down the street bumped the rickshaw, all the way to a Bashundara neighborhood.  It helped one family move to a new apartment.

"Click, clack" went the chain as it struggled to stay in its track under the heavy weight of a refrigerator.

Your flat-bed cousin already moved lots of the boxes and helped clean up the trash, Big Rickshaw!

After moving all that furniture, the Big Rickshaw had to stop to get some air in its tires.  Always riding on monsoon-worn streets causes a few leaks once in a while!

"Hiss!" went the air as it filled those tires back up.

It waited in line at the Gulshan 2 intersection to pick up passengers hurrying to and from work and errands.

The tractor brought some friends to a dinner appointment next.

"Whoosh, whoosh" went the tires as they spun along the pavement. 

After nap time, the Big Rickshaw rushed along the streets of Baridhara.

"Babu, babu!" yelled the passers by as they saw the Bowman on board.

And when everything was done, the Big Rickshaw peddaled back to Lane 5 in time for dinner.  What a good day's work, Big Rickshaw!